


homecoming

by Blue_bird16



Category: The Bastards Crew
Genre: Crew as Family, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Sibling Bonding, a little bit strained but always loving, platonic intimacy, they're FOUND FAMILY ok, zoe says theyre not actually siblings but they definitely are okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 09:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19170262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_bird16/pseuds/Blue_bird16
Summary: Ikarus has been away too long.





	homecoming

....im gonna say this takes place after Zoe's fic [breathe](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19138396) but don't quote me on that.  
Lise and Pip aren't mine, they belong to [pitchblackkoi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitchblackkoi/pseuds/pitchblackkoi) and [mostlyzoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlyzoe/pseuds/mostlyzoe) respectively.

* * *

He’s been away too long this time. Ikarus doesn’t keep track of the march of days much, anymore, but he knows he’s been away too long this time. Anansi and Pip had managed to tag another broadcast with a new Anansi original in the time he’s been away, and he’s witnessed how long that process can take, but...well. Hearing their voices helped the night terrors, at least.

Landing the  _ Partridge _ on the  _ Cassandra _ went off without a hitch; he didn’t even need to radio in for aid. Walking through the corridors, barefeet padding softly against the metal grating, he wishes he had, though. Just to make his entrance a little less sad and lonely. 

He stops by the galley before heading down to engineering to pick up Pip  _ you’lldoanythingtoavoidthemazewouldn’tyou _ and surprises himself when he actually encounters someone: Lise.

These days, when Ikarus looks at Lise he sees...well, not a kindred spirit, because that would imply Ikarus still had anything left of a soul, but...something similar. Something...familiar. 

He doesn’t speak much with them-- _ don’tspeakmuchatallthesedaysdoyou _ \--but he thinks he’s fallen into some sort of almost-camaraderie with them. They’ve stopped drawing their gun with a startle anytime he starts coughing, at any rate. They’re the one he turns to when he gets home for the most succinct run-down whenever his runs go on too long without radio contact. 

Lise looks up from whatever it is they’re doing, making immediate and direct eye contact with Ikarus. He nods, awkwardly, while Lise just looks unimpressed. 

“You know Pip can’t sleep without you,” they say accusingly. No hello. No questions about prospective marks. No, they just poke immediately into what they know will hurt the most with the least amount of effort. 

Working his jaw, Ikarus just nods. Lise holds his gaze a little longer before sighing dismissively and looking down at whatever they were working on before. Ikarus knows better than to leave quite yet, and he  _ really _ isn’t in the mood to start a fight, so he waits. 

“Dani has something shiny they want to show you when Pip lets go of you. D said something about gold, and Fara has a new whatever-the-fuck whenever you’ve got the time for her. Phantomness is off with the  _ Mechanisms _ again,” and oh, the way they spit that word out is almost enough to quirk a smile onto Ikarus’ stained lips. Almost. 

“Sleep at all?” he rasped out, his first words since he left, secretly pleased when he doesn’t immediately starting hacking up nuts and bolts. Lise sighs, shoulders slumping minutely in a way that lets Ikarus know that he isn’t exactly  _ forgiven _ , but he will sleep unaccosted tonight. 

“Passed out twice from various excursions around the ship with Dani and Tarsa. Managed to fucking keep them locked in my room long enough they couldn’t  _ not _ sleep about three times. Died once on a bad raid,” and at this Lise lifts their eyes to bore into Ikarus. He winces, knowing exactly how that would’ve gone down without him around. 

“Sorry,” he croaks out. Lise hums non-committedly, and finally releases him. Years together at this point, and Ikarus doesn’t need a second hint. He walks down to engineering, getting as close to the doors as he can bear  _ wouldn’twanttogettrappedagain wouldwenoyou’rejustscaredofafewfuckingtwistsinyourcorners _ before knocking soundly three times on the echoey vents leading into Dani’s domain. 

Deep in the bowels of the ship he hears a delighted yell that sounds suspiciously like his own name, and the smile this time is confident and real, though still small. He waits. 

The doors patiently slide open, and then Ikarus is gifted with a bundle of joints and metal talking a mile a minute hurtling into his arms at breakneck speeds. His smile grows as Pip continues talking excitedly, slinging them up onto his shoulders in one easy move. He begins walking back to his quarters on the  _ Partridge _ , listening attentively to all Pip has to say to him and occasionally nibbling on their shoes when one wanders too close to his mouth. 

Whenever there’s a break in Pip’s words for them to gasp in a breath to continue on to the next topic, Ikarus takes the opportunity to happily say “Pip, Pip, Pip” as he works the old kinks out of his throat, slowly losing the rasp the more he gets into the practice of speaking again. 

Entering his quarters, he gently slings Pip onto his bed and collapses dramatically next to them, earning a giggle for his efforts. There’s shuffling as they both try to find comfortable spots, and it takes a few more minutes for Pip to run out of things to say. Silence descends on the room for an anticipatory moment.

“You were gone over a year this time, Iky,” Pip finally says. Ikarus sighs into his pillow, but turns over so Pip can hear him if he speaks. “Did you...did you find Apollon this time?” they whisper.

“ _ No _ ,” Ikarus immediately answers, bitter and aching and already feeling the  _ need _ rise in his chest like oil again but he bites it down. He  _ has _ to bite it down. 

“Oh,” Pip says elegantly, then, through a yawn: “Get me anything cool this time?” 

“Yes, but not til morning. I’ll watch first,” Ikarus replies, flopping heavily over on his back to make the bed bounce and causing Pip to laugh again. He settles his head to keep an eye on the door and the other on Pip, their eerie gleam catching the glow from Pip’s golden eye. Pip takes comfort in the familiarity of this routine, this system, and settles in to sleep. 

Ikarus waits until Pip’s breathing reaches the sleep deep rhythm before carefully reaching over the side of the bed for his lyre. Quietly, so as not to wake Pip, he begins to tune it. The new song he learned tumbles through his mind again as he practices for the morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> the wip title for this was Icky Ikarus Lovely Lise and Peachy Pip ajshfksd  
> Zoe started the first watch thing I'm just running wild with it.


End file.
